Payback (2012 film)

Last updated
Payback
Directed by Jennifer Baichwal
Written byJennifer Baichwal
Margaret Atwood (original book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth
Produced by Ravida Din
Cinematography Nicholas de Pencier
Edited by Nick Hector
Music by Martin Tielli
Production
company
Distributed by Zeitgeist Films
Mongrel Media (Canada)
Release date
  • January 20, 2012 (2012-01-20)(Sundance)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Albanian

Payback is a 2012 documentary film from Jennifer Baichwal based on Margaret Atwood's Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth , which investigates the concept of debt in societies across the world (and not only on a monetary level). [1] [2]

Contents

As a Canadian, Baichwal was quite familiar with Atwood's reputation:

Her books are almost required reading if you grow up in Canada. I was almost nervous about meeting her because she’s so intelligent and articulate, but she puts you so much at ease. As intelligent as she is, she never makes you feel that you’re not on her level. As Mark Twain said, “Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” [3]

A number of prominent intellectuals provide commentary, including economist and writer Raj Patel, ecologist William E. Rees, historian of religions Karen Armstrong, and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour. [3]

The film was produced by Ravida Din for the National Film Board of Canada. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Payback is distributed by Zeitgeist Films, which also distributed Baichwal's previous works Act of God and Manufactured Landscapes . The film is being distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media, beginning March 2012. [1] [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Atwood</span> Canadian writer (born 1939)

Margaret Eleanor Atwood is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight children's books, two graphic novels, and a number of small press editions of both poetry and fiction. Atwood has won numerous awards and honors for her writing, including two Booker Prizes, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Governor General's Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, Princess of Asturias Awards, and the National Book Critics and PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Awards. A number of her works have been adapted for film and television.

Payback may refer to:

Maryam Keshavarz, is an American filmmaker, of Iranian descent. She is best known for her 2011 film Circumstance distributed by Participant Media and Roadside Attractions, which won the Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.

Jenny Wilson is an American politician currently serving as the mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah. In September 2007, she was a primary candidate for mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2016, she was Utah's national committeewoman for the Democratic Party. She is the daughter of Ted Wilson, a former mayor of Salt Lake City. Wilson was the Democratic nominee in the 2018 Utah Senate race, running against Republican nominee Mitt Romney. After her election defeat, she was appointed to replace Ben McAdams as Salt Lake County Mayor, taking the oath of office in January 2019. She was elected to that position for a full four-year term in the 2020 general election.

<i>Manufactured Landscapes</i> 2006 Canadian film

Manufactured Landscapes is a 2006 Canadian documentary film about the industrial landscape photography of Edward Burtynsky. It was directed by Jennifer Baichwal and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films. It was the first of three documentary collaborations between Baichwall and Burtynsky, followed by Watermark in 2013 and Anthropocene: The Human Epoch in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj Patel</span> British academic (born 1972)

Rajeev "Raj" Patel is a British academic, journalist, activist and writer who has lived and worked in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the United States for extended periods. He has been referred to as "the rock star of social justice writing."

<i>The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo</i> 2007 American film

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo is a 2007 documentary film directed by Lisa F. Jackson concerned with survivors of rape in the regions affected by ongoing conflicts stemming from the Second Congo War. Central to the film are moving interviews with the survivors themselves, as well as interviews with self-confessed rapist soldiers. The Greatest Silence was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize and won a Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for two News & Documentary Emmy Awards in 2009. It aired on HBO in January & February 2009.

<i>Trouble the Water</i> 2008 American documentary film by Carl Deal and Tia Lessin

Trouble the Water is a 2008 documentary film produced and directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. The film centers a young couple surviving Hurricane Katrina, and facing their own troubled past during the storm's aftermath. It features music by Massive Attack, Mary Mary, Citizen Cope, John Lee Hooker, The Roots, Dr. John and Blackkoldmadina. Trouble the Water was distributed by Zeitgeist Films and premiered in theaters in New York City and Los Angeles on August 22, 2008, followed by a national release.

<i>Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth</i> Book by Margaret Atwood, October 2008

Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth is a non-fiction book written by Margaret Atwood, about the nature of debt, for the 2008 Massey Lectures. Each of the book's five chapters was delivered as a one-hour lecture in a different Canadian city, beginning in St. John's, Newfoundland, on October 12 and ending in Toronto on November 1. The lectures were broadcast on CBC Radio One's Ideas November 10–14. The book was published by House of Anansi Press, both in paperback and in a limited edition hardcover.

<i>Tickled</i> 2016 New Zealand documentary film

Tickled is a 2016 New Zealand documentary about "competitive endurance tickling" and videos featuring it, and the practices of those producing the videos. It is directed by David Farrier and Dylan Reeve. The film explores possible legal and ethical issues with certain individuals making the videos, and has itself been the subject of legal challenges. A follow-up special, The Tickle King, aired on HBO in February 2017.

<i>Act of God</i> (film) 2009 Canadian documentary about lightning strikes directed by Jennifer Baichwal

Act of God is a 2009 Canadian documentary film that investigates the "metaphysical" effects of being struck by lightning. It was directed by Jennifer Baichwal and distributed by Zeitgeist Films. The film's world premier was at the 2009 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on 30 April 2009. It went on general release in Canada on 1 May 2009, and limited release in the United States on 31 July 2009. The film's European premiere was at the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on 11 July 2009.

<i>Last Train Home</i> (film) 2009 Canadian film

Last Train Home is a 2009 Canadian documentary film directed by Lixin Fan and produced by Daniel Cross and Mila Aung-Thwin of EyeSteelFilm. It won the Best Documentary Feature at 2009 IDFA and has been distributed by Zeitgeist Films in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Sundance Film Festival</span>

The 27th annual Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20, 2011 until January 30, 2011 in Park City, Utah, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Sundance Film Festival</span>

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 until January 29, 2012 in Park City, Utah.

Zeitgeist is a series of three documentary films released between 2007 and 2011 that present a number of conspiracy theories, as well as proposals for broad social and economic changes. The films, Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007), Zeitgeist: Addendum (2008) and Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011) are all directed by Peter Joseph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Baichwal</span> Canadian documentary filmmaker

Jennifer Baichwal is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, writer and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravida Din</span> Canadian film producer

Ravida Din is a Canadian film producer who formerly served with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as a producer, executive producer, then as its Director General of English-language production, from February 11, 2013, to February 26, 2014.

<i>Unrest</i> (2017 film) 2017 American documentary film by Jennifer Brea

Unrest is a 2017 documentary film produced and directed by Jennifer Brea. The film tells the story of how Jennifer and her new husband faced an illness that struck Jennifer just before they married. Initially dismissed by doctors, she starts filming herself to document her illness and connects with others who are home- or bedbound with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas de Pencier</span> Canadian cinematographer and filmmaker

Nicholas de Pencier is a Canadian cinematographer and filmmaker. The spouse and professional partner of filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal in Mercury Films, he is the cinematographer and producer on most of her films as well as codirector of the films Long Time Running. and Anthropocene: The Human Epoch. He was also solo director of the 2016 documentary Black Code.

<i>In the Same Breath</i> 2021 documentary film by Nanfu Wang

In the Same Breath is a 2021 documentary film directed and produced by Nanfu Wang. It follows how the Chinese and American governments reacted to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. 1 2 Monk, Katherine (22 January 2012). "Atwood learns to let go in Payback". canada.com. Postmedia News . Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  2. Groen, Rick (16 March 2012). "Payback: A film's courageous attempt to wrestle with debt" (Film review). The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 Fulton, Ben (27 January 2012). "Sundance: A documentary about debt offers a big 'Payback'". Salt Lake Tribune . Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  4. "Canadian directors ready for Sundance film fest". CBC News . 20 January 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  5. "Zeitgeist Films Grabs Rights to Sundance 2012 Doc 'Payback'". The Hollywood Reporter . 16 December 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2012.